Get ready for the E911 disconnects

The Federal Communications Commission has given most VoIP providers until August 29 to receive and document acknowledgement from all subscribers that they recognize the current limitations of E911 service.

Those subscribers who fail to acknowledge they understand this current state of affairs may well be disconnected if they don't reply to their VoIP provider by then.

Not that the VoIP providers aren't trying everything but smoke signals to contact, and prod the laggards.

A Reuters story that moved on the wire early this morning appears to indicate that many VoIP providers have quite a way to go.

As of last Wednesday, Vonage reported 90 percent compliance. AT&T CallVantage logged only 77 percent compliance as of last Tuesday.

But I think those percentages, while high, represent the low hanging fruit. In any compulsory procedure - Census filing, taxes, driver's license renewals - there are always those who wait up until the last minute. And those who don't even get it together by then.

With the E911 acknowledgement deadline two weeks away as of today, you laggards are going to get pestered. And if you don't get on the stick, you might well get cut off   - or at least get your VoIP blocked until you comply.

Resistance is futile.